notes from Terry Ann

"T" is for Terry's Tips 4: Point Taken

Point Taken by Susan Ache

This block was fun to sew and with a few simple tricks you'll have a more accurate block.

Even for a simple block like this one, audition the fabrics by looking at them in about the same proportion that you'll see in the finished block. Try them in different positions and see how well they contrast with each other. I tried out several different blues before I found just the right one.

Round up and cut the squares 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" for Step 1. This gives you a little extra for trimming the squares to a perfect 2".

When stitching the little squares, stitch across a scrap first and stop with the needle down. Lift the presser foot and slide the squares right up to the needle.  Lower the presser foot and begin stitching.

Pay attention to pressing - two squares have seams pressed toward the big triangle and two are pressed toward the small triangle.

When pinning the squares together, insert the pins 1/4" from the edge, right where you'll sew. You'll drive right across where it's matching. Press seams open for less bulk.

 

I'll share more tips on Facebook Live today at 3:00 p.m. at Atkinson Designs. The video will be on my timeline afterwards and you can watch any time.

Be sure to stop over and visit Susan Ache to learn more about her.

Dive in and enjoy this block, and be sure to post your block at The Splendid Sampler!

"T" is for Terry's Tips 3: Clamshells

Clamshells by Helen Stubbings.

This block has applique and embroidery - two techniques that don't often do. I found it very relaxing to do handwork for a change. Here are a few quick tips for getting your applique pattern ready.

When printing the Clamshell pattern, be sure to make sure the scale is set at 100% before you print. Measure to make sure that your printed pattern measures exactly 6-1/2" so your clamshells fit perfectly on the block.

An easy way to make a template is to use a glue stick to glue the pattern onto a piece of cardboard. I like to use an old file folder, but you could recycle a cereal box or use any lightweight cardboard. Cut out on the line and voila - your template is ready to use. This gives you a very accurate template and there's no need for template plastic.

I'll share some tips for choosing fabric on Facebook Live today at 3:00 p.m. at Atkinson Designs. The video will be on my timeline afterwards and you can watch any time.

Helen has a great tutorial on how to make the clamshells, and some great embroidery lessons for beginners.

Dive in and enjoy this block, and be sure to post your block at The Splendid Sampler!

 

 

"T" is for Terry's Tips 2

"Milk and Cookies" by Rebecca Bryan

Simple piecing and gentle curves go together to make the "Milk and Cookies" block. Here are a few tips that will help you stitch a great block.

Cut the squares 1/4" larger than the pattern suggests to allow for squaring up the final block. Press seams open to reduce bulk.

Trace the template with the curve on the diagonal or "bias" of the fabric and the curve will be easier to turn under. I use a sandboard when tracing shapes. It grips the fabric, keeping it from rippling as you move the pencil.

Cut the straight lines with a rotary cutter for accuracy. Cut the curves using a sharp scissors. If your chalk pencil makes thick lines, cut the lines off for more accurate pieces.

Stitch the units together in pairs, making sure they all faced the same way! Finger press the seams open to reduce bulk. Stitch three pairs together to make each half of the ring. Press all seams open.

Straighten the edge of each half of the ring with a rotary cutter

Finger press the edge under before pinning the ring to the background. It will be easier to turn the edge under when stitching.

Links

Go here for the "Milk and Cookies pattern.

Go here for the sandboard that I use; you'll also find great "how to" applique videos.  

Splendid Sampler: "T" is for Terry's Tips

"Quilt Market" by Alex Veronelli

I'm excited to get started on The Splendid Sampler 2. I hope you will sew along with me! We will start out with 20 free blocks, released once a week on Thursday. Each week I'll have a few "Terry's Tips" to make your sewing more accurate and fun.

"Quilt Market" is a perfect block to start with because you can easily check the accuracy of your 1/4" seam. It's worth the time it takes to get this figured out. Your sewing will be so much more enjoyable with an accurate seam! Place a ruler on the right side of the block and measure the size of the strips. The wide strips should be 3/4" and the skinny strips should be 1/2". If yours are slightly different, first check the pressing to make sure there are no tucks next to the seam. Next, test using a wider or skinnier seam allowance as needed.

I bet you'll do a better job following the instructions than I did. I have trouble paying attention to the details! My strip sets are longer than the ones in the pattern but it's okay this time because this block is trimmed to size. I aligned the diagonal line on the ruler with the dark turquoise strip, and centered the two bottom corners and voila! The block is perfect.

Here's a close up of the corner - the diagonal line on the square is right in the corner!

To download the free "Quilt Market" block pattern, head over here.  See everyone's blocks and post yours at  #thesplendidsampler - I can't wait to see your colors!

Santa's Belt Wine Tote

The Wine Tote from Let's Do Lunch has always been a wonderful hostess gift, so I decided to add a little something extra to mine this year! This Santa-themed wine tote is sure to be a hit, especially if it's filled with wine!

Download Santa Wine Tote

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fat Quarter Christmas #9: Slumber Party

Elsa, Anna, and Olaf are having a slumber party and will need some snacks! I've found two delicious recipes: lemon bar buddies and microwave kettle corn!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microwave Kettle Corn is sweet and savory - the perfect combination! Just stir butter, sugars, and oil together, mix in popcorn kernels, and microwave (I use an offset dinner plate to let steam escape). Salt when finished for a fast, easy, delicious treat!

 

Lemon Bar Buddies are fun to make with kids - just stir white chocolate chips, lemon curd, and butter together and pour over rice chex. Shake 'em up with powdered sugar for a yummy no-bake treat.

Download both recipes here.

Fat Quarter Christmas #8: Morning Noon and Night

Whenever I need a quick quilt for a gift, I make Morning, Noon, and Night because it is so fast and simple to put together. It's one of my favorites for that reason!

No matter which quilt I make, I like to finish the binding by machine because it is quick and durable. Here's how:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finger press the binding away from the center. Fold the binding around to the back and stitch “in the ditch”, catching the binding underneath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right before you reach the corner, look underneath and fold the edges exactly as shown. You may wish to place a pin to hold it. The side part must fold on top so it stays in place as it goes toward the needle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stop with the needle down at the corner to turn.

Terry’s Tip: I like to fold each corner when I get there because if I try to pin them ahead of time it doesn’t work as well for me.

Fat Quarter Christmas #7: Happy Holidays

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get the holiday season started with a Happy Holidays table runner! I love the star shape that this pattern creates, it's fun, festive, and perfect for this time of year!

The Happy Holidays table runner may look tricky but the triangles are actually made from simple rectangles! Here's how:

Fat Quarter Christmas #4: Bridget's Bagettes

Looking for a small and simple gift idea? Why not make some Bridget's Bagettes! Using just two fat quarters you get one in each of the three sizes. They're speedy to make and have an easy edge finish, no binding or fuss! Bridget's Bagettes are great for giving notions (how about some Wonder Clips!), gift cards, jewelry, and candy. 

Fat Quarter Christmas #3: Natalie's Napkins

The contrast fabric looks like binding on these reversible fat quarter napkins, but why waste time binding? Our Natalie's Napkins pattern includes a fast and easy edge finish that is much easier than traditional binding. Make luncheon or dinner size napkins. (luncheon size shown in jar, dinner size shown below)

Fat Quarter Christmas #2: Doll Apron

Josephina is ready to bake holiday and cookies and pies wearing her new apron. Even though she's not old enough to use the oven, she wants to wear her new oven mitts! She's excited that her apron looks just like mom's.

Pearl is wearing the child size apron from Mom and Me Aprons. There was enough leftover fabric to make a matching apron and Oven Mitts for Josephina.

You'll find toddler, child and adult aprons with a chenille hot pad in the Atkinson Designs "Mom and Me Apron" pattern.

Doll Apron and Oven Mitts: Download

Fat Quarter Christmas: #1 Monterrey Medallion

I'm diving into my fat quarter stash this week and each day I'll share my favorite fun and festive projects for everyone on your list. Each day I'll also share a  sewing tip, recipe, or decorating idea. I can't wait to get started!

Day 1 Monterrey Medallion quilt

 

We chose three completely different greens for the center star (above left) but when they were sewn together, they all looked the same. Out came the seam ripper!! Adding a lighter green made a huge difference (above right).

Lesson learned: If the colors don't seem quite right - try something else! Sometimes colors don't behave the way you think they will, and it just takes a few minutes to find a combination that you like better.

It was really fun to arrange and rearrange the blocks to try different layouts but we got the woodpile blocks all mixed up when switching layouts.

Lesson learned: It was faster and less confusing to stack the "lefty" and "righty" woodpile blocks in separate piles before trying each layout.

Favorite Layouts: We took a cell phone photo of each layout so we could compare them. Each layout uses the same blocks! Which one do you like best?

Stop back tomorrow for a gift idea for that special child on your list using just 3 far quarters.

Breakfast Inspiration

Sometimes when I wake up and reach for my cereal bowl I get more than breakfast - I get inspired! Look at how Kirk put the Fiesta bowls away. These are just the bowls that happened to be clean - or did he plan this? Of course I found some batiks in my stash in those very same colors . . .

And then cut pieces for the Dovetail quilt. I used more of the cool blues and greens for balance because the warm colors are so intense. The finished quilt is one of my favorites.

Woven Fabric Basket

I had fun last weekend making some little woven baskets out of 2-1/2" batik strips. These baskets are often made out of paper such as magazines, newspaper, maps, potato chip bags etc. but I wanted to use fabric. I used interfacing to stiffen the strips and make them easy to weave.

Materials needed:

20 strips 2-1/2" x 21" (I used precut batik strips) Note: One Bali Pop makes four baskets.

40 strips 1/2" x 20" (1/3 yd.) Decor bond fusible interfacing

20 strips 1/2" x 20" (5/8 yd.) Heat and Bond Lite fusible web

Fabric glue, wonder clips or clothespins, scissors, thread

 Prepare 20 Fabric Strips:

1. Fuse interfacing strips along each edge of the strips on the wrong side of the fabric. (yellow)

2. Press edges in to meet at center. (purple)

3. Fuse Heat 'n Bond web along one fold. (orange)

4. Peel paper off, fold in half and press. (turquoise)

Weave strips together - 10 vertical strips and 10 horizontal strips. Weave a thread or string around the edge of the woven section to mark the edge and hold the weaving in place.

On each side, weave the first 5 strips into the last five strips to make a diamond shape as shown. A new corner will form at the bottom of the diamond. Place a wonder clip or clothespin at the top to hold it in place.

Continue weaving to connect the sides.

Pull the strips to tighten and fold the strips down. Use wonder clips to hold the edge in place.

Weave the ends in on the inside of the basket. Use a point turner or crochet hook to help push the ends through.

Put a dab of glue between the layers along the top edge. Use big wonder clips to hold the layers tight until the glue is dry. Trim the ends inside the basket and your basket is finished!

Here are some resources showing how to make these baskets out of paper:

map basket

newspaper basket

My Round Robin quilt

I save everything! I rip pages out of catalogs, magazines, and newspapers. I take photos of stepping stones, windows, buildings, and plants - anything with an interesting shape. I always keep a pad of graph paper nearby because I like to sketch and color. I keep a fat messy file of quilt ideas - drawings, potential color schemes, even blocks that I've made that need a little "tweaking". Note: That's completely different than twerking :-)

When it was time to make the center for my Round Robin quilt, I dug into my files to see what ideas might pop out. I came across a photo of an antique orange peel quilt, and wondered what it would look like if I changed the shape of the orange peel. I had recently seen an ad for moustache pacifiers and somehow those two ideas came together in my brain. I wanted to do a bold, two color center as a focal point for my quilt and chose assorted red fabrics. Once the blocks were made they ended up looking like lipstick!

Gudrun, Kari, and Terri each added a border to my center - and along the way, one of them added turquoise squares between the center "lipstick" blocks. To find out how each one came up with their part of the quilt, visit their blogs:

Center: Me - you're already here :-) (Atkinson Designs)  

Border #1: Gudrun (G.E. Designs)

Border #2: Kari (New Leaf Stitches)

Border #3: Terri (Whimsicals)

 

After the big reveal, we experimented with adding a little more to the quilt, but in the end I decided that I liked it best without any changes. I sent it off to Angela Walters and she did an amazing job machine quilting it. Here's the final quilt - I love it!

If you'd like to read more about our "No Rules" Round Robin, check out this issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine - it should arrive in your mailbox any day!

 Photos used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2013 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

Related articles

Round Robin Rebels

Round Robin Rebels II: Kari's quilt

Round Robin Rebels III: Terri's quilt

Round Robin Rebels III: Terri's quilt

Terri's Round Robin was the first one to arrive and I had no idea what to expect! I knew she would have red and gray fabrics, and I hoped they wouldn't be too much like the red/gray/turquoise prints that I used for my quilt. There was no need to worry because her fabrics were completely different than mine. Here's what Terri made for her center:

I thought Terri used a panel from one of her new fabric lines - but I found out later that she hand painted the words "Color Outside the Lines". LOVE the shading! She hand appliqued the flower and bird. Here's how I went about adding my border:

• The first thing I did was put Terri's block up on my design wall and pin the fat quarters nearby so I could think about it. And think about it. And think about it some more.
• I wanted to add more color in my border but everything I tried overpowered the appliqués. Arghhh!
• I wanted to introduce another shape – not triangles. How to experiment without cutting up and wasting Terri’s fat quarters? I arranged overlapping folded shapes to test several different ideas without actually cutting anything out. I pieced a few different borders out of scraps from my stash - none of my fabrics were anything close to Terri's colors so it was hard to tell whether or not the borders would work.
• Out of everything I tried, I kept going back to the red print because it brought out the bird and flower - but there wasn't enough to really do anything. Went shopping to find a similar red and came up with NOTHING. With all of the shops in the Twin Cities area, how hard could it be to find that red???
• Since there wasn't enough fabric to frame the block, I straightened the edges of the red piece and then cut it into four equal strips - I could make four borders and put something at each corner.

Finally got the border done at the last minute – Because the red strips were an odd measurement, I made random log cabin blocks for the corners and trimmed them to fit. 

Now I am worried that it is too simple and I should have done something more creative. Wish I had more time and more fabric!! I think it would be a cute little wall quilt right now – hope I didn’t make it too hard for the next person to add something. Out of all of our Round Robin quilts, this was definitely the hardest one for me!

Visit each of our blogs to see what we each added to Terri's quilt. You can also follow us on our Facebook fan page, Round Robin Rebels.

Center:  Terri (Whimsicals)

Border #1: Me - you're already here :-) (Atkinson Designs)

Border #2: Gudrun (G.E. Designs)

Border #3:Kari (New Leaf Stitches) 

If you'd like to read more about our "No Rules" Round Robin, check out this issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine - it should arrive in your mailbox any day!

 Photos used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2013 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

Related articles

Round Robin Rebels II: Kari's quilt

Round Robin Rebels

Round Robin Rebels II: Kari's quilt

Kari's Round Robin quilt was delivered just as I was leaving for my sister's house in Milwaukee. The weather was terrible and I was hoping to get on the road before the snow got too deep. I knew the 6 hour drive from Minneapolis to Wisconsin would take longer in a snowstorm, and there was no time to open the box. I tossed the box on top of my suitcase and started the long drive. I worried about the quilt the whole way to Milwaukee - what if I had an accident in the snow and the quilt was damaged? Yikes, it was a hair raising drive. That evening, my sister was sworn to secrecy and we opened the box. This is what we found:

Here are notes from my journal as I went through the process of adding to the quilt:

• I'm totally intimidated by how pointy and difficult the piecing looks – and it’s perfect.  Not my style at all. How many thousand hours did it take them to do this?
• Terri’s border fits the center so perfectly – it looks like the same person did both -what can I possibly add that will work as well?
• Brainstormed ideas but came up with nothing that would work. While flipping through some of my sister’s quilt magazines I found a drunkard’s path block – what a perfect combination of curvy and pointy to repeat the shapes from the center.
• I arranged all of the fabrics next to the quilt and really liked the dark green best. It definitely needs a dark frame. I’ll make it scrappy – my favorite. I hope it looks okay to add a scrappy border to a center that has a planned color scheme.
• I’m so thankful to have yardage after the struggle I had last time – so glad Kari didn’t follow the “rules”!!

Between the curved piecing and having the blocks on point – I’m wondering how I will write instructions so it will work for everyone. No real way to fudge anything – it all has to fit perfectly.  If we are going to do a pattern I don’t think anyone will want to make it because it is way too hard. I’ve spent almost as much time thinking about the instructions as I have thinking about how to sew it – I guess both things are connected.

• I drew the drunkards path block on the computer and colored it in. I cut out some paper blocks to experiment with the block arrangement and figure out the corners.
• Finally, I made templates and cut my pieces out of fabric. Wow, it's been a long time since I traced around a template and cut with a scissors - I feel like a pioneer woman - all I need is candlelight!
• When my blocks turned out kind of wonky, I started over and made them 1/4" bigger so I could square them up.

Finally, here's the quilt with my drunkards path border. I'm so happy with how it turned out!

Visit each of our blogs to see what we each added to Kari's quilt. You can also follow us on our Facebook fan page, Round Robin Rebels.

Center: Kari (New Leaf Stitches)

Border #1: Teri (Whimsicals)

Border #2: Me - you're already here :-) (Atkinson Designs)

Border #3: Gudrun (G.E. Designs)

If you'd like to read more about our "No Rules" Round Robin, check out this issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine - it should arrive in your mailbox any day!

 Photos used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2013 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

Round Robin Rebels

This is the end result of many months of secrets, sewing, and fun. When Kari, Teri, Gudrun and I began working on Round Robin quilts, it was little more than an idea to have fun with friends and maybe stretch our quilting boundries a little. Who knew it would end in the creative sewing lab at American Patchwork and Quilting magazine? Wow! We were so surprised to see how the quilts turned out. And wow, what an amazing journey together!

Let's start at the beginning. First came the idea: Our Round Robin quilts would start with each of us making a center "block", and the others taking turns adding borders. Next came a flurry of emails back and forth trying to decide on "The Rules" for our Round Robin. We decided to have "No Rules" because we trusted each other to add whatever each quilt needed. Then the fun began! The center blocks were packed up with fat quarters and background fabric and sent off on their journey. Every month a different person would add a border. The end result: four totally different quilts!

If you are familiar with our pattern companies I think you'll agree that we are four very different designers. We'd like to share our process with you - what worked and what didn't, how each of us tackled the design process, and why we chose to add what we did to each quilt. Each week we'll share our thoughts for one of the quilts - starting with Gudrun's quilt today. Visit each blog to see what we each added to Gudrun's quilt.

Center: Gudrun (G.E. Designs)

Border #1: Kari (New Leaf Stitches)

Border #2: Teri (Whimsicals)

Border #3: Me - you're already here :-) (Atkinson Designs)

Gudrun's Rays of Friendship Quilt

I'd like to show you and tell you about how I came up with my border for Gudrun's quilt. I decided to repeat Gudrun's wedge shapes from the center panel (portion shown below) to make a continuous curvy border all the way around the edge of the quilt. Since I was the last one to work on the quilt, there wasn't enough left of any one print to make the border. Nothing in my stash was quite right with these colors - even my black and white prints were either too white or too creamy. I went shopping and found some more fat quarters to add in for a scrappy border. Terry's Tip: If you can't find an exact match, find several fabrics that are sort of right. A scrappy color scheme will look interesting instead of wrong!

Next, I had to do a little detective work to figure out which ruler Gudrun used to make her wedges. I counted 6 wedges in a 90 degree corner (three orange/black and three grey/yellow). 90 degrees divided by 6 equals 15 degrees. I called my local quilt shop and they ordered a 15 degree wedge ruler for me. I think the hardest part of making the border was waiting for the ruler to arrive!

Here is a mock-up of how I wanted the border to look. I used the yellows and oranges in the larger part of each wedge to bring more color out to the edge of the quilt. I planned the size of the green so that it was wide enough to make a strong curve, but also small enough to offset the seams for easy sewing and pressing. HOWEVER, when I started placing the pieces up on the design wall, I realized that the border was way too "busy" for the quilt. Terry's Tip: If you don't like something that you are sewing, STOP and make a change right away. You'll be so much happier with the final result if you listen to your "gut" and let the quilt tell you what it needs. 

This is the final border that I made. It turns out that the quilt needed lots of plain black to frame it and set off the center. I probably spent way too much time trying to make the other border work when I knew it was wrong. As soon I was willing to eliminate some of the pieces, everything fell into place. And guess what? There would have been enough fabric without shopping!

If you'd like to read more about our "No Rules" Round Robin, check out this issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine - it should arrive in your mailbox any day!

 Photos used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2013 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

APQ 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge

Make a pillowcase and make a difference! The American Patchwork and Quilting 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge is a chance to enjoy both sewing and giving. Donate your pillowcases to help out in your own community - or check this list for ideas of where to donate. 

Get creative with the winning pillowcase from the APQ Pinterest challenge. The winning train pillowcase is just one of 35 free pillowcase patterns from APQ.

My train was inspired by my fabric, "Summersville" by Lucie Summers for Moda. I used the engine and caboose from the APQ Train Pillowcase pattern, and added some alphabet train cars in between. Download Alphabet train letters 

Instead of following the sewing directions in the pattern, I used the easy "tube" method in this video to stitch my contrast band to the main color.  I arranged my train cars 3" up from the edge and fused them in place.

After stitching the rick rack down I zig-zagged around all of the train cars. Using a darning foot, I stitched spokes on each wheel. To complete the pillowcase, I stitched the side seams.

Are you ready to join the challenge? What kind of train will your fabric inspire you to make?

Sweetgrass baskets

Have you ever driven along the sweetgrass basket highway? On Hwy 17 near Charleston SC, there are sweetgrass basket stands lining the road. Kirk thought one was enough, but I talked him into stopping several times. My favorite was Mazie Brown's.

Mazie has an outgoing personality and a great smile even though I didn't catch it on camera. It was fun to watch her making a sweetgrass basket! Mazie learned from her mother and she made her first basket when she was eight years old.

Here she's concentrating on explaining how the basket is made. Mazie wraps palmetto strands tightly around sweetgrass to make each row. Notice the spoon handle in her lap - she pokes it between the strands of the previous row to make space to slide the palmetto through and connect the rows.

These are her ingredients: sweetgrass, palmetto and bullrushes. Pine needles are woven in for color. Years ago, bulrushes were used for work baskets because they're hollow and much lighter weight. Sweetgrass is now used for household and decorative baskets. The baskets are green when first made and the color changes to a light tan as they dry.

I liked the 2 loop basket -perfect for dinner rolls!It took Mazie about three days to make this basket.